Dandi March: The English had arrived in India as East India Company traders in the early seventeenth century. By the end of the seventeenth century, strategically, they had established themselves firmly on Indian soil and had begun to rule the Indian people. It was not until 1857 that the first mutiny occurred as the Indians began to rebel against British rule. This act was followed by many others; of which the most influential was the concept of nonviolent movement initiated by Mahatma Gandhi. His key approach to opposing British rule was not through arms or ammunition, but through nonviolence. Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore bestowed on Gandhi the title “Mahatma” meaning “great soul” in 1915, while these sources are reflected in his words to his followers such as: “let there be no semblance of breach of peace even after all we have been arrested. We have decided to use all our resources in pursuit of an exclusively nonviolent struggle. Let no one commit wrong in anger. This is my hope and my prayer. I would like these words of mine to reach every corner of the earth." Then there is: “No one who believes in nonviolence, as I believe, needs, therefore, to stand still…wherever possible, salt civil disobedience should be initiated.” Towards the end of the speech Gandhi openly states that everything he said and explained in his speech can be considered as his will and that there should be no suspension or postponement of the plans in case he is arrested. Studying the aftermath of the Salt March from various reliable sources, we know that the news spread like wildfire across India. The impact of the Salt March was considerably significant. According to The Gandhi Reader: A Sourcebook of His Life and Writings, 1994, “The Dandi Salt March erupted into a mass civil disobedience movement, many Indians breaking the law by illegally producing or trading salt…. The Salt March also inspired, Ghaffar Khan led a non-violent movement against the British. The speech reflects an immense clarity of his thinking and purpose. Gandhi uses simple and direct words in carrying out the process of Swaraj. There seems to be method and transparency in conveying his intentions and plan to the INC leaders and the masses. Readers, as mentioned before, can see that his authority is evident throughout his speech. They can sense the depth of purpose or the seriousness of the issue in Gandhi's speech. At many points in his speech he states that he is going to prison or even entertains the prospect that these will be his last words in his life; reflecting that he has a "do or die" attitude to this end. Readers get a sense of the strong core values, which also appear to be the backbone of Gandhi's means to achieve Swaraj. He does not want to compromise with them, as is evident from his entire speech. He repeatedly underlines the importance of adhering to truth, non-violence and peace; even after his arrest or death, which gives the reader the impression that Gandhi holds these values very dear to his heart. He uses words like “this is my hope and prayer,” “commitment,” and “take it as my will” to convey his point of view on the importance of these values to the masses; also generating a lot of pathos. Gandhi seems to have clear ideas about what kind of people should or should not participate in this movement. Him
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